The provincial government has appointed Jessie Frost-Wicks as the new Ethics and Integrity Commissioner to serve a five-year term.  In her role as Ethics and Integrity Commissioner, Frost-Wicks will provide oversight of accountability and governance matters within the provincial government. She previously worked as a lawyer for 27 years in various government departments and was the Public Trustee, Public and Official Guardian until she retired in 2021.  Frost-Wicks started in the role on September 18th, replacing Shauna Sullivan Curley, who for 8 years served as the first Ethics and Integrity Commissioner, and is retiring.  The role was established in 2015 as part of a series of measures to strengthen public confidence that the work of government is conducted with high standards of ethics and integrity. The Commissioner also provides advice to the Executive Division on conflict of interest matters within their departments or agencies.

The P.E.I. Teachers’ Federation is looking for what it is calling a Course Correction, following a survey of its members that found 62 per cent of them had considered leaving the profession.

"Shut the outreach centre down" was the pointed and often repeated message many people had for MLAs during a legislative committee meeting in Charlottetown.

Premier Dennis King says years of advocating have paid off.  He was responding to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement Thursday of a temporary three-year pause to carbon pricing measures on heating oil, beginning in two weeks.  Trudeau also announced that the federal government will be doubling the top-up to the carbon price rebate for rural Canadians, beginning next April.  King says it’s welcome news, saying they’ve long been calling on the federal government to listen to Atlantic Canadians about the disproportionate impact that the Carbon Tax has on our region and rural Canadians.  King says it will help Islanders reduce the cost of heating their homes. The federal government says the change will mean households that use heating oil would save about 250-dollars on average. 

Six Island seniors have been named Senior Islanders of the Year for their outstanding contributions to communities across the province. 

The Senior Islander of the Year Awards were created to recognize the contributions of Island seniors in areas like volunteering, artistic achievement, fundraising, sports/recreation, and business. 

The 2023 Senior Islander of the Year Award recipients are Betty Begg Brooks, of Charlottetown; Georgina Knockwood Crane, of St. Andrews; Mari Basiletti, of Canoe Cove;  Myron Yates, of Glencoe;  Bernadette Gallant, of St. Louis; and Anne Marie Richard, of Tignish.

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has approved decreases of 3.0 cents per litre in the price of furnace oil, and 4.0 cents per litre in the price of diesel.  There’s no change in the price of gasoline.  Including taxes, pump prices for regular self-serve gasoline remain in the range of 164.3 to 165.5 cents per litre.  Prices for diesel are now between 209.8 and 210.9 cents per litre.  The maximum price for furnace oil is 163.7 cents per litre.

Six seniors on Prince Edward Island have been recognized for various contributions in the areas of volunteering, artistic achievement, sports, and business.

The slogan will be part of a public awareness campaign that will roll out next week focusing on the health benefits of reducing alcohol consumption.

A union representing 200 workers at one of Prince Edward Island's privately run long-term care homes says a report released last week falls short of addressing fundamental issues faced by residents and workers.

A search warrant operation at a Springfield, P.E.I., home on Wednesday has led to several charges against a 33-year-old man.

Prince District RCMP officers have seized 19 weapons, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and laid several charges against a 33-year-old Springfield man. On Wednesday, police executed a search warrant at a home on Route 2 in Springfield. During the search, 17 shotguns and rifles, along with 2 restricted hand guns, were found. Officers also found thousands of rounds of ammunition and an ammunition press. Police say that many of the weapons were loaded and not stored safely.  The man has been charged with several offences, including two counts of uttering threats; unsafe storage of firearms; unauthorized possession of loaded restricted firearms; and unauthorized possession of restricted firearms with readily available ammunition.  The suspect will remain in custody pending a court appearance.

The Prince Edward Island Police Long Service Awards were held on Wednesday at Florence Simmons Performance Hall at Holland College.  Nearly 50 officers from Atlantic Police Academy, Charlottetown Police Services, Kensington Police, RCMP and Summerside Police Services were honoured and presented a medal for 15+ years of service and medal and bar for 25+ years of service.

Third Party Leader Karla Bernard has announced that she will be tabling a revised version of the Green’s Paid Sick Days legislation during the upcoming fall sitting of the legislature. The proposed legislation would give all Island workers the right to five paid sick days a year, ensuring that they can take time off when illness strikes without the fear of financial hardship. In 2022, the Green caucus shared consultation drafts of paid sick leave legislation and gathered feedback from stakeholders and the general public.  Legislation was tabled but then ultimately voted down in the legislature.  

As time runs out on a federal promise to expand the Canada Dental Benefit, the Dental Association of P.E.I. is anxious to hear the details of how it will work.

Reports say at least 22 people are dead after a man opened fire at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine.  The shootings took place at venues about six kilometres apart before the gunman vanished into the night. Hundreds of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies are searching for a person of interest who is a military-trained firearms instructor.  A police bulletin says Robert Card, who was trained at a U-S Army Reserve facility in Maine, was committed to a mental-health facility this summer.  Shelter-in-place orders are in place for Lewiston and for nearby Lisbon.

One of P.E.I.’s private long-term care operators has left its share of millions of dollars in additional government funding untouched — money which was supposed to be used to increase staff wages.

P.E.I.'s chief public health officer says a supervised injection site could save people's lives amid an alarming rise in fentanyl use on the Island. But the province's plans to establish one are still unclear.

In response to concerns raised by the public, PEI RCMP are increasing patrols with a focus on vehicles passing stopped school buses. Within recent weeks, two drivers in the Tryon/Albany area were charged under the Highway Traffic Act for passing a stopped school bus.  The RCMP is reminding drivers to never pass a school bus when it’s flashing lights are activated; and stay alert and cautious when approaching school buses.

CUPE Local 2523, which represents close to 200 Atlantic Baptist Nursing Home workers, along with CUPE PEI, issued a statement Wednesday regarding the recently released Long-Term Care (LTC) review. The Union says that while the review acknowledges inequities and calls for improvements in the private sector, it falls short of addressing the fundamental issues faced by long-term care residents and workers.  CUPE says the report emphasizes aligning qualifications, recruitment, retention, and financial aspects but lacks a comprehensive plan for improving long-term care conditions.  CUPE Servicing Representative Lori Mackay says that many of the review’s recommendations merely suggest further investigation into known issues, delaying crucial action.

Hospital wait time information will be intermittently unavailable in emergency department waiting rooms and on PrinceEdwardIsland.ca Thursday between 10 a.m. and noon as upgrades are made to the system.

The upgrades will affect the emergency department wait times web pages and in-hospital screens for:

• Queen Elizabeth Hospital
• Prince County Hospital
• Kings County Memorial Hospital and
• Western Hospital

The Bank of Canada is keeping its key interest rate at five per cent, saying there are clearer signs that monetary policy is moderating spending and relieving price pressures.
But it hasn’t ruled out future rate hikes as those pressures remain high.
The central bank’s latest economic forecast suggests we’re in for slower economic growth and higher inflation in the short-term.

The provincial government is seeking feedback from Islanders to help develop a long-term plan for use of the Confederation Trail.

In-person workshops will take place across the province starting October 30 .  Islanders are encouraged to attend a workshop to share recommendations, personal stories, and comments about the trail.

Charlottetown residents weighed in on plans to redevelop the section of North River Road from Capital Drive to McGill Avenue at a packed open house Wednesday afternoon.

A scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has issued a challenge to Island farmers: Guess the yield of a potato field grown using only fertilizer left over from last year's crop. 

The P.E.I. government released the results of its annual student health survey on Tuesday. Here's a quick look at some of the results.

The number of heartworm cases on P.E.I. has jumped in recent years, and staff at the Atlantic Veterinary College are urging dog owners to take precautions as a result.

Brad MacConnell is expressing concern about how the relationship between police and P.E.I.'s Mobile Mental Health Response Unit was portrayed to a legislative committee earlier this month.

Charlottetown’s Ocean 100 premiered new Jimmy Buffett-Lennie Gallant collaborations

A new federal program will bring $30,000 to P.E.I. food banks to distribute feminine hygiene products.

A very special event is taking place Wednesday at the Florence Simmons Performance Hall at Holland College in Charlottetown.  The Prince Edward Island Police Long Service Award Ceremony is being held.  The awards recognize the important milestones of officers who have dedicated their lives to a career in public safety.  This is the second year for the awards.

Charlottetown Police have charged a 34-year old Charlottetown man in connection with two break-ins that happened on October 10th.

Early that morning, a man was captured on video surveillance breaking into two separate businesses on Kensington Road.  Several items were stolen.

The Major Crime Unit assisted in the investigation and that led to the search of a home on Kensington Road this past Saturday.  The search resulted in the seizure of several items that had been stolen from the two businesses and the suspect was arrested.  He’s been charged with two counts of Break and Enter and two counts of breach of probation.   He’s been remanded in custody and will appear in Provincial Court on Thursday.

This is a very special morning here at Ocean 100.  PEI singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant will be here between 8am and 9am to join with us in a world premiere of two new songs from the late Jimmy Buffett – two songs that Lennie co-wrote and collaborated on with Jimmy Buffett.  Lennie Gallant will join the Ocean 100 morning team to tell the stories behind the songs, share Jimmy’s passion for Prince Edward Island, and debut these two new songs.

P.E.I.'s moratorium on so-called renovictions will no longer be in place starting next month, and housing advocates say new protections introduced last year don't go far enough.

Public health officials are concerned about results of a survey that suggest high levels of alcohol and cannabis use among P.E.I. students.

Health P.E.I. is working toward formalizing agreements with neighbouring provinces to guarantee specialized health services the Island is unable to provide on its own.

Hernewood Intermediate School, in western P.E.I., was evacuated Tuesday morning after a cellphone caught fire in a classroom.

The Public Schools Branch says that out of an abundance of caution, Hernewood Intermediate School in O’Leary was evacuated Tuesday morning and the fire department was called after an electronic device overheated.

Officials confirmed that it was safe to re-enter the school and classes have resumed.

When Arthritis Society Canada looked at how health care systems are dealing with the disease, no province ended up scoring better than a C. Prince Edward Island, where arthritis is the most common chronic disease diagnosed, did even worse.

The City of Charlottetown is hosting an open house Wednesday to provide information and gather public feedback on the redevelopment of the North River Road corridor from Capital Drive to McGill Avenue. It’s from 2 to 4pm and 6 to 8pm at West Royalty Community Centre.  Officials say it’s a major redevelopment project that will improve the corridor for pedestrians, active transportation users, vehicles and transit.  The project will also look at upgrading stormwater infrastructure where necessary and will include upgrades to several intersections along North River Road.

Rural transit in PEI saw a record month in September.  There were 11,633 one-way trips on rural transportation routes last month, up significantly from August which saw the previous record of 9,736 rides.  After launching in October 2021, the province’s rural transit service has created more than 100 bus stops from Tignish to Souris and transit provides an average of 8,452 one-way trips every month. Officials say the availability of rural public transit is taking approximately 110 personal use vehicles off the road per day.

October is Women’s History Month, giving Islanders the chance to learn more about and celebrate the many accomplishments of Island women throughout PEI’s history. 

This year’s theme Through Her Lens: Celebrating the Diversity of Women emphasizes the importance of recognizing the achievements and contributions of women from diverse backgrounds. The theme helps focus attention on the unique perspectives, experiences and challenges faced by women, including Indigenous women, women from 2SLGBTQI+ communities, women with disabilities, and newcomer, racialized, and migrant women. 

For a third time last week, the Charlottetown Police Street Crime Unit executed a search warrant and laid a drug charge.

At 2:00am Friday, the Street Crime Unit searched a home on Bayfield Street, and that search resulted in the seizure of a quantity of crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine tablets, two replica firearms, drug paraphernalia and approximately $1000 in cash.

A 49 year old Charlottetown man has been charged with Possession of crystal methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking; Possession of methamphetamine tablets for the purpose of trafficking; and two counts of possession of a weapon for a  dangerous purpose. He’s been released with conditions and will soon appear in Provincial Court.

A man was taken to hospital Monday morning after the vehicle he was driving struck a power pole on Route 2 near Carleton.  It happened at about 7:45am.  Prince District RCMP, Albany Fire Department and Island EMS all responded to the scene.  RCMP describe the man’s injuries as non life threatening.   RCMP are investigating but say that alcohol and/or drugs are not believed to be a factor.  The collision knocked out power to a large section of western PEI, affecting more than 8,100 customers.  Maritime Electric crews were able to restore power in about 3 hours.  However, the power outage did result in an early dismissal for schools in the area.

Dog owners on Prince Edward Island are being urged to protect their animals from heartworm after a dramatic increase in the number of positive tests, mostly in dogs imported from the United States.

Proposed changes to Prince Edward Island's Police Act could help formalize an arrangement that in the past has seen Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team investigating serious incidents involving P.E.I. police officers.

Demand for P.E.I.'s home heating subsidy is up significantly, according to the Salvation Army, which administers the program on the province's behalf.

The Charlottetown Airport will see an increase in seat capacity this winter following a record number of passengers during the summer season.

Athletes from across Prince Edward Island got together this weekend to start down the long road of training for the 2027 North American Indigenous Games in Calgary.

P.E.I. is one of just two provinces in the country that allow people 40 and older to self refer for breast cancer screening.

Erin Zeiadin and her husband are considering a move to P.E.I., and she turned to TikTok for advice.